Driving mount for centrifugals



M&y i2, i936.

F. l. WILLIAMS DRIVING MOUNT FOR CENTRIFUGALS Filed Maron 23, 1953 l .mw i /W of the old style of belt Patented May 12, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 10 Claims.

This invention relates to a driving mount for suspended centrifugal machines such as are used in the manufacture of sugar, starch, chemicals and the like, and is intended to provide a new and advantageous construction that will eliminate troubles that have long been inherent in the operation of such centrifugals as heretofore used.

Because of certain defects attending the use drive, resort has been centrifugal engineers to direct-connected electric motors for operating centrifugals of this type. However, not only does the substitution, where conditions are very favorable, of a direct connected motor for a belt drive involve heavy additional expense, but in many cases the Ysupporting framework does not leave sufficient head room for installing a direct connected motor. Furthermore, owing to the nature of the current requirements of an electric motor that will eiciently operate such centrifugals, the current available in many factories is not well suited for operating a direct connected motor. Frequently, because of local conditions an electric driving motor for the centrifugal can be used only by means of a belt drive connection.l While'a belt driven centrifugal is much the cheaper and simpler construction, yet as the pulley of such centrifugals is naturally secured direct to the gyratory basket shaft in position to receive the belt at the level fof the center of gyration Vof the shaft, the tipping of the pulley to and fro with the Yswayof the centrifugal results in stretching alternately each edge ofthe belt while slackening the contact with the other edge and thus'causes loss of traction, slip of belt and excessive wear requiring frequent belt replacements. Usually belt driven' contrifugals have been operated by quarter-turn belts connected with drive pulleys on the horizontal line shaft at the rear of the mixer. This arrangement has precluded the use of the -more elfective V-beltdrive since only a flat belt can be used under such conditions.

My present invention provides a novel construction and arrangement by which the faults and disadvantages of existingtypes of drive for gyratory centrifugals are overcome or eliminated and, generally speaking, Vit is characterized by the mounting of a driving head or .pulley in non-` oscillatory bearings so as torotate about a xed axis'while the centrifugal itself issupported on said head orpulley by `ra universal joint permitting the basket to gyrate against yielding centralizing resistance. YThis and other features of made of late'years by the invention will be particularly described in the following specification and will be defined in the claims hereto annexed.

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated a simple and convenient construction and Fig. l is a detail showing a portion of the V-belt for the driving pulley.

Fig. 5 is a vertical central section showing a modiecl arrangement of centralizing buffer interposed between the rotary head or pulley'and the basket suspending shaft or spindle. y

In the practice member la adapted to receive and support the exterior or stationary races of a series of ball bearing elements In these stationary or non-gyratory bearings 3 is revolubly supported a revolving head comprising an exterior pulley element 4 provided with an inwardly extending spider ia integral therewith and with a tubular hub member 4b, which is revolubly supported by the aforesaid bearing elements so as to sustain the radial and the Vertical or axial thrust of the driving head or pulley which carries the centrifugal. The inwardly extending spider la connecting the rim of the pulley with the hub 4b is provided with a spherical recess or seat in which is supported the spherically curved ball head 6, which is rmly secured to the upper endrof the basket carrying shaft or spindle i0. The spindle is of smaller diameter than theinterior bore of the tubular hub 4b of the driving head, so as to permit the necessary gyration to enable the centrifugal to gyrate under the stresses of an unbalanced load until it centers itself and spins steadily about its normal axis of rotation.

As it is desirable that the oscillation of the 1 spindle should be Y in which the Spindle enable it to find yieldingly restrained, I interpose between the upper horizontal face of the suspension ball 6 andV a compression ring 9 an elastic buffer element and preferably the buffer Y element is made in sector-shaped pieces adapted to t between radiating flanges 6a, which form pockets Vfor the receptionY ofthe sector-shaped buffer members II. These buffer members II extend upward above Vthe radial flanges or partitions 6a so that the compression ring 9, when forced downward by the clamping bolts 9b, can adequately compress the buffer without forming contact with the upper edges of the flanges 6a.

To impart the requisite torque Without shock or hammering'in theform shown, four of theV basket andalso establishes a substantiallyV positive cushioned drive that absorbs'all shocks of transmission of rotation from thepulley to the centrifugal. Y The constructionV permits the use of a spherioally curved suspension ball Vof 'large radius, thereby affording a wide area of spherical contact between the suspension balland the socket formed in the driving head or pulley.V

VThe upper end of the pulley carries by means of radial arm spider 5 the annular rim 5a ofthe brake pulley, which is engaged byV theV exterior brake'band 5c.

-The driving beltwI3preferably of the V type,

as illustrated in Fig, 4, extends Vrearwardly to theV power or driving pulley I5 which,jlike the hollow pulley of the centrifugal, rotates about a vertical axis so that the two pulleys have their axes in parallelism. Any desired form of power transmission may be employed for drivingv the pulley I5. In this case I have shown in'Fig. 2 a motor I6 revoluble about a vertical shaft. The motors may be supported by means of horizontal slides Y I8 so as to permit taking up of slack or loosenessV in theV transmission belts I3.

'An underneath cover plate I2 is attached to the bottom of the hanger ilange'l9L to catch any Y drip from the lubrication supplied tothe bearing races by suitable lubricating ducts, and supports the down thrust of the bearings.

Instead of employing an overhead buffer for centralizing and opposing yielding resistance to Vthe gyration of the shaft,rthe centralizing buffer may be located at the lowergend of the tubular hubof the pulley, as shownY in Fig. 5. In this case, aflanged buffer-receiving cup or ring 20 is securedto the lower end the pulley and the centrifugal basket shaft carries a'xed exteriorly Ythreaded collar 2I on which is mounted Va Spanner nut 22, which thrusts against a washer 273 bearing against an overhead flanged collar 24 slidably mounted on the fixed collar 2I and engaging the interior face as well as the bottom face of the elastic buffer 25. By turning upthespanner nut the buffer can be compressed to Vany desired degree of resistance to oppose the desired yielding restraint against the gyration of the Abasket shaft ofthe centrifugal.

axis of rotation when VYembracing a belt of the tubular hub 4b of* It will be noticed that the driving torque from the pulley to its suspended centrifugal, as well as the drag exerted by the brake, is transmitted to the centrifugal at substantially the center of oscillation. Furthermore, the suspending of the centrifugal shaft upon and through the driving pulley or head not only permits the use of a suspension ball of large diameter which affords ample supporting area on the socket seat formed in the pulley, but this construction brings the center of gyration very close up to the I beams30 to which centrifugal hangers are usually suspended, thus aifording the maximum possible length to the basket spindle which is very desirable from a practical engineering point `of view. Not only does the construction permit the use of a V-belt, whose traction is much more efficient than that of a flat belt, but with any form of belt it avoids the excessive wear and stretch of the belt due to the tilting of the driven pulley with relation to the normal plane orpath Vof movement of the belt and thereby effects great economy inbelt repairs and replacements. ing slippage ofthe belt, which this-construction effects, the operation of the centrifugal becomes much more efficient because of the rapid pick-up or acceleration that can be obtained.

It will be observed Ythat whether the centralizing buffer be placed at the top of the pulley, a's shown in Fig. 1, or provision is made in or adjustment of the in order to permit the desired degree of resistance to the gyration of the centrifugal.

What I claim is: Y Y

l. A driving mount for a suspended centrifugal y K driven pulley revolubly mounted on a fixed overhead hanger to rotate about a fixed axis andprovidedwith a tubular hub, a gyratory centrifugal basket shaft suspended from said pulley through said tubular hub to permit gyration against yielding centralizing resistance about a centerincluded in'said axis of rotation, and means Vfor' causing the centrifugal to-rotate in unison with? the pulley. ,Y

2. The combination with a non-gyratorycen-V trifugal driving pulley provided at its upper end with a ball-receiving socket axial passage extending downward from said socket, a gyratory centrifugal basket shaft yextending upward through said'pass'age and having securedto its upper end a gyratory'susp'ension ball seated in said socket, and means for transmitting the rotationl of Jthe pulley to saidV shaft through said suspension ball while V permitting gyration of the centrifugal against 4'yielding centralizing resistance.

3. TheV combination with a Vnon-gyratory centrifugal driving pulley provided witha rigidly connectedV brake pulley, said Adriving pulley being provided with a spherically curved socketpa ceriboth cases for the setting buffer compressing member By largely eliminatbelow it, as shown in Fig. 5,

and'ha'ving' a central Y trifugal basket shaft secured 'at its upper end to 1 a spherically curved suspension ball'seatedjin said socket, a buffer element *mounted on the upper face of vsaid suspensionball, "and-'a ycornpression member secured to the upper -end of said pulley and adjustable against said bufferto compress the same and thereby afford thedesired the axis of rotation of thev to theigyration of the centrif-V permitting gyration of the centrifugal about the axis of rotation of the head, and a yielding centralizing buffer element arranged to oppose yielding resistance to the gyration of the centrifugal and also serving as a yielding medium for transmitting rotation of the head to the centrifugal.

5. A driving mount for a centrifugal embracing a xed hanger provided with vertically spaced annular anti-friction bearings, a non-gyratory centrifugal supporting and driving belt driven pulley, Whose belt-engaging rim surrounds said bearings by which the pulley is revolubly supported, and a gyratory centrifugal rotated by and suspended from said pulley to permit gyration of the centrifugal in relation to the axis of rotation of the pulley.

6. A driving mount for a centrifugal embracing in combination a xed hanger, a non-gyratory belt driven pulley revolubly supported on said hanger by upper and lower spaced antifriction bearing elements disposed interiorly of the beltengaging rim of the pulley, a gyratory centrifugal suspended from said pulley by a flexible joint to permit gyration of the centrifugal While rotated in unison with the pulley, a yielding but variable resistance to the gyration of the centrifugal.

7. A driving mount for a suspended centrifugal embracing a non-gyratory revoluble supporting and driving head mounted to rotate about a fixed axis, a gyratory centrifugal suspended by ball and socket joint connection with said head to permit gyration of the centrifugal when rotating in unison with said head, and a centralizing buffer interposed between the centrifugal and the head to oppose yielding resistance to such gyration and acting to force the suspension ball member socket member through the is compressed.

8. A driving mount for a suspended centrifugal and means providing Y embracing a non-gyratory driving and supporting head, a gyratory centrifugal suspended for rotation from said head by a flexible joint comprising a suspension ball secured to the centrifugal shaft and a supporting socket carried by the driving head, the ball being provided with upwardly projecting radial members arranged to receive the torque thrust of interposed vanes carried by the driving head, thereby affording flexible drive transmission means permitting gyration of the centrifugal in relation to the driving head.

9. A driving mount for a suspended gyratory centrifugal embracing in combination a xed overhead suspension hanger provided with interiorly disposed anti-friction bearings, a belt driven pulley having an interiorly disposed central hollow hub member revolubly mounted in said bearings for rotation about a fixed vertical axis, a gyratory centrifugal basket shaft coaxially suspended from the upper portion of said hollow hub by a universal joint to hang through said` rotation of said centrifugal said universal joint While permitting gyration of the basket shaft against yielding centralizing resistance.

' 10. In a driving mount for a suspended gyratory centrifugal the combination with a xed overhead hanger, of a belt driven pulley mounted in said hanger to revolve about a xed vertical axis, a gyratory centrifugal basket shaft provided at its upper end with a spherically curved suspension ball seated in a socket formed in the central portion of said pulley shaft to hang through a central bore in ysaid hollow hub whereby 

